Many species of nematodes are parasites of considerable medical, veterinary and agricultural significance. For example, nematodes of the Orders Strongylida, Strongyloides, Ascaradida, Oxyurida and Trichocephalida include many species that cause disease in humans, sheep, cattle, pigs and other species. Further, nematodes of the Orders Tylenchida and Aphelenchida, and others, include species which are parasitic of important crop plants and fungi.
Due to resistance development (e.g. anthelmintic resistance) and concerns over safety of existing nematicide compounds (e.g. the widely used soil fumigant, methyl bromide, is known to damage the ozone layer; while the use of others is of concern due to their broad toxicity), there is an ongoing need for the identification of new anthelmintic compounds. Further, in the agricultural context, there is a need to identify DNA sequences that might be introduced into plants and fungi to confer nematode resistance.
One possible site of action for new useful nematicidal compounds and products of resistance genes is the muscular pharyngeal pump which is involved in nematode feeding and the maintenance of internal hydrostatic pressure for nematode structure and motility. The present invention proposes a feeding assay based upon the measurement of pharyngeal pumping, which allows for the high throughput identification and assessment of candidate compounds capable of promoting or inhibiting pharyngeal pumping.